Statue of trailblazing Kentucky State University alumna to be featured in the Newseum

The legacy of Kentucky State University alumna, journalist and Civil Rights pioneer Alice Allison Dunnigan was recently honored by the West Kentucky African American Heritage Center in Russellville with a bronze statue.

Dunnigan asked hard-hitting questions of United States presidents, highlighted stories of African-American history and fought for equal employment rights.

The statue of Dunnigan could be on its way soon to the Newseum in Washington, D.C. according to a story in the Bowling Green Daily News. The bronze statue would appear in the Newseum exhibit “1968: Civil Rights at 50” from Sept. 21 to Jan. 2, when the statue would return to Russellville.

The center is currently raising funds to cover the cost of transportation to and from the museum. The total cost of transportation is $10,000.

Dunnigan began teaching after she graduated from Kentucky State and furthered her education in the summer months. During that time, she was also working as a journalist for Louisville newspapers, such as the Louisville Defender.

Dunnigan later moved to Washington, D.C. to work for the U.S. Department of Labor, which was the beginning of her fight for civil rights in and out of the workplace. She later transitioned to working for the Associated Negro Press and became the first accredited reporter to cover presidential press conferences.

Over the course of Dunnigan’s career, she reported on four U.S. presidents and published five books.

The statue of Dunnigan was funded by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and the Artemis Initiative.